Monday, July 30, 2012

Police lose keys to Olympic stadium

London's world-famous Wembley Stadium is set to host the Olympic football finals next week.
London's world-famous Wembley Stadium is set to host the Olympic football finals next week.
  • Police lost keys to Wembley Stadium -- home of the Olympic football finals -- last week
  • Team of detectives sent to search the arena, but found no trace of the missing set
  • All internal locks inside the 90,000-seat stadium have been changed as a precaution
  • Cost of replacing high-tech laser keys expected to run into tens of thousands of dollars

London (CNN) -- The locks at London's Olympic football final venue Wembley Stadium have had to be changed, after police responsible for security at the world-famous sports arena lost their keys.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman told CNN on Monday that officers at the ground first realized the keys had gone missing last Tuesday, July 24.

Scotland Yard sent a team of detectives to the site to search for the missing set, but despite determining that they had not been stolen, officers were unable to find them.

As a result, Olympic Games organizers and embarrassed police chiefs decided that all internal locks inside the 90,000-seat stadium would have to be replaced.

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A London 2012 spokesman told CNN: "Keys being used by police officers on searches at Wembley Stadium were reported missing... These were internal keys, locks have been changed and the security of the venue has not been compromised in any way."

Police insist there is no evidence of any criminal offense in relation to the keys, and no risk to security because of their loss.

"There is absolutely no security concern in relation to the stadium, as measures were taken immediately to secure all key areas of the venue," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

The cost of replacing all the high-tech laser keys used at Wembley is expected to run into tens of thousands of dollars.